PM Inaugurates National Incubation Center – The New Face of Peshawar

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of National Incubation Centre (NIC) Peshawar, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the center would definitely cater the needs of young generation to get global access through Internet. He said the incubation center would eventually explore the capabilities of young generation and serve as a bridge, giving them access to opportunities for national and international markets.

The Prime Minister said the provision of broadband facility is also among requirements of youth, like basic education, adding it would help bring youth of far-flung and tribal areas into national mainstream. He said facilitation of young generation would eliminate extremism and curb Kalashnikov culture, thus opening new vistas of growth and prosperity. Young generation, who seek work after completing education, would be able to support themselves, he said and added it will also create employment for many more through such facility. He said that government has completed projects worth billions of rupees including electricity generation, Sui gas provision and establishing industrial zones.

The Prime Minister said NIC is a pilot project that would prove to be a milestone in utilizing energies of youth for the country’s overall progress and development. He said that establishment of incubation center would also bring investment by harnessing ideas of people and transforming these into opportunity. This is the first government that has focused on this important sector and issued new Internet licenses, thus paving the way for technology development, and improving business and trade activities across the country, he added.

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ms. Anusha Rahman, while expressing her satisfaction with the launch proceedings, stated, “National Incubation Center, Peshawar will usher a vibrant new era of entrepreneurship and innovation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, enabling many aspiring tech entrepreneurs and startups in creating game-changing solutions.” She added, “Ministry of IT&T is constantly striving towards transforming Pakistan into a knowledge-based economy through various sustainable ICT initiatives.”

Yusuf Hussain CEO Ignite said “A singular opportunity for Startups that seek to solve meaningful problems with the help of Academia and for Corporates that seek to transform and thrive in this age of global competition and pervasive change by partnering with and investing in Startups.

Atif Khan, CEO LMKT said, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has enormous untapped talent and potential that can become a major driver in boosting Pakistan’s economy. I’m really excited about the prospect of working with inventive local entrepreneurs and startups in our pursuit for creating success stories bigger than ours.”

President & CEO PTCL, Dr. Daniel Ritz, on the occasion, stated, “The National Incubation Center, Peshawar is an important milestone in the burgeoning innovation climate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This center is a testimony to PTCL’s promise to empower the people of Pakistan through its ICT and Digital services.”

A generous 12,000 sq. ft. facility in the heart of Peshawar at PTCL Training Center has been earmarked and repurposed to incubate more than 25 handpicked startups each year. NIC Peshawar will be equipped with the latest ICT infrastructure offering high-speed connectivity, seamless audio and video conferencing facilities, fully-managed IT and telecom services, among others. Incubatees will have access to comprehensive mentoring services allowing them to seek guidance and support on design thinking, business planning, financial and operational aspects related to their startups such as marketing and communication, legal services, etc. NIC Peshawar will provide the access to investors to support technology driven disruptive startups.

The ceremony was also addressed by KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, and PM Advisor Ameer Muqam. Minister for Information, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb was also present on the occasion.